Helena Abdou
Locals in Melbourne’s north will now be able to safely buy and sell goods bought online through a new Victoria Police initiative.
Special zones are being set up outside a number of 24-hour police stations including Epping, Mernda and Mill Park, with the trial starting from today.
The zones will be set up in view of CCTV cameras to ensure peoples safety.
Victoria Police is hoping to raise awareness to improve safety after some exchanges resulted in people being robbed and assaulted.
In November of last year, two men arranged to meet at a park in Epping in order to conduct a buy, swap or sell deal when the seller was robbed and stabbed in his arm.
Superintendent Sean Woods said the project was about ensuring community safety when making these deals.
“While the number of robberies in the local area are relatively low, we don’t want to see even one incident occur and that’s why we’re doing everything we can to prevent this type of crime,” Superintendent Woods said.
“With so many transactions made via online marketplaces now, this is about ensuring people feel safer when arranging to meet someone they have never met before.”
He’s also urging people to take their own necessary precautions when arranging meet ups.
“We still ask that people consider the risks of meeting someone they have never met before – if you decide to proceed with this method then we also advise to take some common sense safety measures such as meeting during daylight hours and taking someone with you.”
The trial will run over several months and will seek to establish whether the program improves community safety and the need for more safer sites across the state.
“Police will continue to work with local councils and our stakeholders to boost crime prevention measures and ensure we are addressing issues that matter most to our community.”
